Dear Courageous Leader (December 2012)

What skills and knowledge do students need so they are prepared for college, work, and life? It seems that we sometimes get so bogged down in meeting accountability standards that we forget to stop and ask ourselves this important question. All too often we find ourselves reviewing data, teaching test taking skills, reviewing the latest assessment to ensure our students have the knowledge they need to score well. This is not wrong but it sometimes overshadows what many believe to be the real purpose of education: preparing students for college, work, and life. As you develop a vision about what you and your school community believes is important when it comes to preparing students for a successful future, it is important to seek balance.

Despite the high stakes testing environment we currently live in, there are a number of experts that say we need to educate students who are thinkers, innovators, and creators. As your school community reevaluates your vision, I encourage you to read Yong Zhao’s latest book, World Class Learners, Educating Creative and Entrepreneurial Students. In this book, Zhao points out the flaws of a system focused only on student achievement scores and guides our thinking to a broader approach to preparing students for tomorrow. He identifies clear ways for schools to purposefully develop the entrepreneurial spirit which helped shape our country.

In this month’s newsletter, we provide you with an example of a leader whose vision for reform is leading schools to new found success in Kalamazoo. In the Teacher Topics article, you will find strategies which can help you reach your vision of an ideal classroom.

This month . . . dream. Use the articles in our newsletter. Reflect on your experiences as a practitioner. Create the vision of education as you would wish it to be.